Summary: Kelvin reveals the name of his game. Hiso/Illu first encounter in the club.

Warning: Depicts an underground party, shonen-ai.

A/N: Mr X is the alias of former Spider #4.

I modeled Kelvin's appearance on this dude, but I have no idea who he is- please tell me if you do!! Thanks!

You can cut and paste this link into the address bar then delete the spaces -- http: / /img299.imageshack.us/img299/448/kelvinsmodeluf5.jpg

XXX

6 Hours Ago

Hisoka

BAR "E" was a funky, well-established drinking hole with an underground vibe. A disgruntled visitor was being turned away by a tall doorwoman with black framed glasses, grey pantsuit and outrageous black and green braids.

"Honey, are you on the guest list for tonight?" She asked him.

"ONLY for this…"Hisoka took out the silver disc.

She grinned broadly, said, "Enjoy…" and opened the door for him.

The lounge was filled with undercover security pretending to be patrons. One of them escorted him to the bar, where the "bartender", a muscular young bodyguard with cheesy bow tie, cracked jokes while scrutinizing and scanning in his ticket.

"Welcome, Mr Hisoka." He handed the disc back to him. "Since your ticket has been transferred from Mr. X, there is one more formality that we have to complete. The boss would like to have 15 minutes of your time. Would that be fine?"

"Sure, no problem." Uh-oh, Shal didn't warn me about this…

"Over here, please." The bartender lifted up the counter-top and he entered the kitchen, which had been converted into surveillance central with walls crowded by CCTVs. Two guards dressed in civilian clothes bowed to him as he passed, while the rest of the techs ignored him. In front of him was a large service door presumably to the back alley, to his right, a double door of thick smoky glass through which he spied a second, secret lounge space completely padded in rich blue velvet. He pushed the mysteriously fluid brass door handles and strolled in.

Darkness enveloped Hisoka. What little light was golden, emerging softly from behind the booths, under the tables and inside the heart of huge quartz crystals serving as lamps. He observed about 200 individuals of all backgrounds mingling in colorful party clothes and suits. A powerful nen-bodyguard stationed near the entrance pinned him with eagle eyes. The exit appeared hidden.

Deep, dark and sexy minimalist house grooves pulsed in the background like powerful, pleasurable heartbeats reverberating in an underwater cavern, complete with sonar bleeps. The intensely primeval energy in the room penetrated to Hisoka's core and he felt he was standing at the gates to the underworld. Overhead, there was a slowly moving light projection of twin aurora borealis spiraling ever upwards, like twin serpents encircling a pillar of air, forming and breaking the infinity symbol "8":

Two become one; the logo for ONLY.

A handsome, fresh-faced young man caught sight of Hisoka and impulsively waved his hand above his head. "Hisoka!" he called out, clear brown eyes shining. He excused himself from his circle of admirers and headed towards him.

It was Kelvin Syakhbandani, looking very different from only a few hours ago. Gone was his playboy image with long wavy locks and flowery shirt. For tonight's occasion, he had cut his dark hair short, and dressed professionally in a black Armani suit, white shirt and black tie. If anything, he looked even more attractive than usual, the conservative look bringing out the purity of his gentlemanly features and tall, well-built physique. A hint of fuzz along his upper lip and chin emphasized his cute, full lips shaped like a cupid's bow, the type which probably sent ladies swooning.

"Good to meet you, Mr. Hisoka", greeted Kelvin with a warm handshake. "This is your first time, isn't it? I hope it'll be your best time." He squeezed Hisoka's shoulder and grinned with infectious humor.

Hisoka was amused at Kelvin's casual speech patterns at odds with his reserved look. "Are you the boss?" he asked.

"Yes, I bet I surprised you, didn't I? I've been in this line since I was this big," he said, holding his palm about 1.2 meters off the ground. "I was 10 years old when I started mixing drinks and serving alcohol to the guests in my parent's restaurant. I wasn't even allowed to drink at that time." He laughed.

"Really? Then how would you know if what you made was any good?"

"I didn't know the difference, but apparently our guests could tell, and they kept requesting that I make more. But it's true, isn't it? Drinks do taste different depending on the person making it. Even if we all followed the same exact recipe, our drinks would turn out different. Why?"

That's a sign of nen, my boy. Hisoka gave Kelvin a quick gyo-over, saying, "Ah! So that's why the gay bartender down the street can attract more girls than I do!" Nothing. No nen. Although he had to admit, Kelvin was slick. He had a way with words.

"Come with me," he said, lightly touching Hisoka's elbow and giving a nod in the direction of the booths. "Since this is our first meeting, I'd like to have a short interview with you. For profiling."

"Profiling, what's that about?" Hisoka asked pleasantly, not moving a step.

"Hmm…?" Kelvin dark eyes flashed with amusement. "No, I'm not going to probe into your affairs. If I did that, I would be dead, since everyone here is connected to the underworld, somehow. But I don't think you paid 1 million zennis just to come here to listen to music, did you?"

"I didn't…pay." Hisoka agreed.

Kelvin voice lowered with a strange commanding intensity. "Business is all about relationships and relationships are my business. There are 532 guests tonight, meeting at an event so forbidden, dark and beautiful that it is almost legendary. For just this small sliver of time, we are creatures of a secret world, and nothing bonds better than a secret…" His handsome face, half-hidden by the blue-green shadows and golden light, took on a very seductive, dream-like quality. "You feel it too, don't you? You feel special, magical. Any relationship you start now will have the emotional power to last a long time. I'm here to introduce you to the right people for exactly what you need…for all your business needs – all kinds of business. You and I both know they're the same." He crossed his fingers symbolically. "My success rate is 70 percent."

"70 percent? That's very impressive for one night's work."

"One night…and everything can change, if it was meant to be," his eyes seemed to gleam with years of experience. "Tell me, are you in love?"

"Love?" Hisoka leered. "I am always in love." He stretched out his fingers, then curled them into a fist. "I currently have 2 targets."

"Someone you've already met?"

"Yes."

"Are you actively hunting for them?"

"Yes..."

"The more impossible it seems, the higher your anticipation?"

Hey, this guy knows! Hisoka licked his lips and observed his host. Kelvin, who had covered his mouth, looked deep in thought. Instincts summoned up about 10 people from his mental database of 5,000 guests. Although experience told him this wasn't a numbers game. Of all the countless variables, luck was the decisive factor.

"You're very adaptable, so you'd be excellent in most groups and I'll introduce you to some cliques in just a while…but to make the leap from good to GREAT…?" Kelvin scrunched his face, returning to his usual, goofy approach. "I can only think of one guy, but he's not here yet. Man, you should've been here last year, this place was swarming! In fact, Mr. X brought along a whole gang that was just your type…where the hell is that guy, anyways – Mr. X? He said he'd be here! I'm going to give him HELL for ditching me!"

"Save it…he's – Brace yourself, Kelvin. Mr. X already crossed over."

"What!?" Kelvin's eyes went hazel with shock. "I just saw him last month! What the fuck happened?!" he demanded angrily, "Who did it?"

"The Mafia hired a Zaoldyeck to assassinate him."

"Mafia…? Zaoldyeck…?" Kelvin's face drained of color as if he found out his family members had murdered his friend. He suddenly leaned a hand on Hisoka's shoulder and covered his face with the other. He took a deep breath and quickly stepped away, but his whole body was shaking unsteadily. He hugged himself like a fetus, mumbling incoherently, "Dammit, my body hurts…nghhhhhhh…want Quollo,"

It was Hisoka's turn to be shocked. "Kuroro?" Those two knew each other? No way…

"No…as in Quoll…with a Q." Kelvin stared uncertainly at Hisoka, lashes wet. "What does he look like?"

"Like a cute, white bunny rabbit…with Marilyn Manson eyes."

Kelvin burst out laughing or crying or both. "That's him, that's him!" A gorgeous woman with a funky beehive dressed in the grey suit of a staff member walked up to him and touched his waist. "Hey boss, need a moment by yourself?" Without a word, Kelvin hugged her tightly and she hugged back with a kind expression, as if used to this particular weakness of his.

Spoiled brat…Hisoka thought. Kelvin obviously got a lot of love from ladies who couldn't resist their maternal instincts to take care of him. The body heat seemed to strengthen Kelvin and his face hardened. He let go, whispered his thanks and ran a hand through his short hair in a characteristic gesture as if forgetting his long wavy locks were gone.

"Whoa! What happened there?! I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable…A couple other MMA are already here, you'll know them…Ali M., Joe L, Mike T…" He continued on their way as if nothing happened and started schmoozing and making introductions. Hisoka was a slick networker himself, and he soon had a good grasp of all the cliques in the room and a picked up a few fans as usual.

"Don't you have to spend time with your other guests?" Hisoka asked.

Kelvin looked pleased and casually put an arm around his shoulder. They were about the same height, so it seemed very natural. "Thanks for asking. Most of my guests are already friends. Half of them are regulars, and I've been doing pre-parties the whole summer to promote this event. Subtly of course. Then there will be after-parties too, at Vivithia. I don't want them hanging out in York Shin while I do the clean up!" He laughed. "It's gonna beONE HELLAVA LONG NIGHT!! Oh my god…another 72 hours without sleep! Woo-hoo! I better not forget to shave again!"

"But I'm getting ahead of myself." Kelvin slowed down. "Everything depends on this moment…Now. How are you feeling, Hisoka? Getting there yet?"

"It's alright. I haven't met anyone interesting, but I commend you on your choice of music. "Lies" by Jennifer Cardini?" Hisoka pointed upwards. The evil sound perfectly suited the mood of Henka people, although, "Who the hell would play this at a party?"

"Yes." Kelvin stopped walking, gazed delightedly at his guest. He started to groove ever so slightly to the beat, brown eyes narrowing in pleasure when he detected Hisoka's response. He looked away, closed his eyes and bit his lips as if savoring the taste of the music. Then he looked back again, this time for a long unspoken moment admired Hisoka through lowered eyelashes in a way that could almost be called flirtatious. And Hisoka looked sexy as he held his gaze, heart beating in tune, body grooving slightly –Both couldn't be bothered to be self-conscious. This was just who they were. This was who the music was for.

"Not too dark for you, I see? People on this side of life have a greater taste for these… shades of light. She's here, by the way. She'll play for an hour after 3 am. If I'm there I'll dance with you. Come with me."

They joined a group of three gorgeous female PR executives sitting in a blue velvet booth. A blue-green shimmer enveloped the five, the result of the mellow golden light glowing from within the rough cut metamorphosed sandstone and softly scattering from the blue surfaces. It created an excellent mood for chatting. As Kelvin had predicted, Hisoka hit it off with the execs who proposed several profitable projects that they could do together. However, maybe because everyone was so self-aware, there was no chemical transformation from "good to great."

Kelvin was beginning to feel bad for Hisoka when his cell buzzed…

"Oh my god, you're in luck, he's here."

An androgynous young zombie approached them. He may or may not have made his own party clothes, but it was bizarre. Scraps of leather were slipping off his body, precariously bonded by safety pins, arm straps and chains. He had kneepads on his skinny jeans and a slim, metal-studded belt with one corner looped back…except it was adorning his neck, like a collar…Long black hair and eyeliner emphasized his dead eyes.

He was also the "lady" Hisoka met at the bathhouse.

If only he would get rid of all his clothes and wash his face…he would have an otherworldly beauty which Hisoka found mesmerizing.

"Ah…Milluki's brother!" Kelvin said, opening his arms for a hug, which the "zombie" stiffly accepted.

"Hisoka, this is-"

"Nobody." the newcomer coldly interjected.

"Well then, call me 'Secret'," Hisoka said ironically.

The two glared at each other.

"Kelvin…?" Illumi sighed, as if asking for permission to kill. He was depressed and didn't want to be aggravated by the weirdo whom had insulted his hair-style at the bathhouse, and who was now leering at his fashion sense.

"Please take a seat. I'll be back in a moment." Kelvin said smoothly, gesturing for his gorgeous assistant to escort Illumi to another table. He nodded to Hisoka to follow him and they headed to a corner of the room.

"Sorry, I have to talk to him now, he also has a transferred ticket. But he's the one I wanted you to meet! Why did it turn out so wrong?" Kelvin made a sound as if disgusted at himself. "Impossible, I can't be wrong! I had a strong feeling about this. He's probably uncomfortable with strangers but I'll get him out of his shell in a moment…"

"Hey, this place must be getting boring for you, would you like to go over to the main room? Most people are there already, you'll know them. Monica Electronica is the floor manager over there, she'll take care of you. Yeah, this here is Rich." Hisoka shook hands with a burly bodyguard who drew open a corner of the velvet curtain to reveal a spiral staircase going underground. "He will be escorting you to the venue in a cab. But you won't be able to look out the windows. It's important that our location remains secret."

"Okay, I'll see you and your zombie friend in a bit, then." Hisoka felt in a great mood.

Kelvin suddenly remembered something. "By the way, do you know about our dress code?"

Dress code for a rave? "No, what do you mean."

Kelvin laughed. "Looks like Mr. X didn't fill you in. I better tell you now before you go any further." He looked at Hisoka seriously. "You'll have to take off all your clothes."

"…" Hisoka just stared, then laughed. "I'm a magician and even I can't do that."

"No, I was joking. But you'll have to take off your top. Men or women, no exceptions. Except for the staff, of course. Yes, this is THAT kind of party. The first one was completely naked, but that was a logistical nightmare, so now we just request guests to remove their tops."

"Whoa…"

"I'm very sorry, Hisoka. I totally forgot to tell you –I thought you already knew, this is part of what draws people to this party! If you're uncomfortable in any way, you have my sincere apologies and I'll issue you a full refund right now."

" I'm not bothered by nudity."

"Didn't think so." Kelvin took out a namecard. "Call me if you need anything."

Hisoka walked down the spiral staircase, smelled concrete and stale air. He found himself in an underground tunnel large enough for two lanes. A yellow York Shin cab was parked nearby, and the chauffer greeted him. "The ride will take 3 minutes." Rich said, opening the door for him.

XXX

A/N: The underground city is real. There are usually tunnels connecting important buildings like the Supreme Court/ Parliament / Museums etc. The idea for ONLY came from "Jakarta Underground", thus Kelvin, as the owner, has an Indonesian name. ( thx Orange-Maple for the name.) I have no clue if the model is Indonesian or not, so don't mind me, I'm pretending that Kelvin is mixed like all the people in the hxh world. :P

Next chapter: Mixed Signals! Does Illumi have a hidden talent as dj? Is Kelvin giving out Mixed Signals??

Reviews are love...!